Good practices

GameAAL - Gamification Supporting Active and Assisted Living

GameAAL is a project that emerged from the premise that average life expectancy has increased and, therefore, it is important to age in an active and healthy way, through the promotion of quality of life and physical and psychological well-being.

In this sense, this initiative intends to use technologies, namely gamification, to promote awareness among the elderly regarding the adoption of healthy behaviours and lifestyles.

It also intends to strengthen the provision of care, through stimuli and rewards aimed at effective monitoring and control of health, as well as the prevention of acute and/or emergency episodes, and the detection of dangerous situations that are related to home security.

According to the organizations that are developing and implementing this initiative, GameAAL enhances the prevention or delay of institutionalization of the elderly and reinforces their quality of life, as well as that of their families and/or informal caregivers, as their daily activities are constantly monitored. In addition, caregivers receive a warning if an unexpected situation occurs, so that they can act effectively.

Year(s): Since 2017

Target group(s): Elderly people; Informal carers

Website or other online channels: http://www.gameaal.pt/

Methodology

The use of artificial intelligence and gamification make life easier for the elderly, but also for their informal caregivers, even if they are at a distance, as the system allows them to control daily tasks through environmental and physiological sensors and cognitive stimulation games.

GameAAL's training system is based on several games that allow a global assessment of the deterioration of various neurocognitive components.

Based on the information extracted from these games mentioned above, as well as the information extracted from the environmental and physiological sensors, it plans hybrid training, with virtual activities and with real activities.

Type of product

Online resource Mobile application

Brief description of the outcomes

GameAAL included the development of a training system for adult educators and professionals working with elderly people, based on games that will give information about the needs of each person in terms of health.

Impact on target groups / Transferability potential

In 2019, the project won a Good Practice award at the Active Aging Congress, in Coimbra. In this year, which corresponded to the 3rd edition of the Congress, 160 candidacies were sent, 8% more than in the previous year, and only 3 projects were selected, including GameAAL project.

Taking this into consideration, it is possible to conclude that GameAAL, since its implementation, is empowering the target groups in order to improve the quality of life of elderly people.

Promoter of the initiative: CNC.Ibili – Universidade de Coimbra – Instituto Biomédico de Investigação da Luz e Imagem

Country: Portugal

Languages available: English Portuguese